Here, there, everywhere and some other places too …

Getting to know you...

There can't be too many people who have not heard of or read about The Côte d'Azur, often known in English as the French Riviera. It is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France which is the home of exotic places such as Cannes, Nice, Monte Carlo and, of course, St Tropez. Like so many things in France there is much more to find behind the glitz and with that thought in mind we decided to explore a little for ourselves.

There is a lot of fun just driving along country roads off the beaten track but in the world of motorhoming most campsites come with a very efficient information service and Camping de la Plage is no exception. So over the next few days we will be going to and fro to see what there is to offer.We started today and already it is a complete knock out.

Without moving any more than ten miles from the site we were told we might be interested to look at two small towns set back from the coast. They are Gassin and Ramatuelle.

Gassin is set on a hilltop overlooking the area and the pictures should give you a fair idea of the spectacular views that are available. As is, I sense, almost obligatory in rural France the towns are dominated by a church of antique proportions and in this case there was no exception. Both towns fall within the same parish, locally known as "Le Paroisses de La Croix Valmer, Gassin et Ramatuelle."As so often happens the best bits are to be found under your nose and although we have been here several times before we hadn’t actually thought to explore the features of the town of Port Grimaud itself.

It is a vast marina interwoven among little streets and very fashionable apartments. It is a veritable Venice of the Riviera as you can see from this assortment of pictures.